Chapter 54: Reunion

Translated by: kevin1782

Edited by: Isalee

Gao Yang's mom extended a hand and caressed Gao Yang's face for a while. After taking back the hand, she squeezed herself hard in the face and then logily said, "This isn't a dream."

Gao Yang's mother hugged Gao Yang after saying all that and she used all her strength to hug Gao Yang. What followed next was lots of heart-rending wailing and crying.

"Mommy!"

He finally couldn't suppress his cries anymore after he was hugged by his mom.

Gao Yang was taller than his mom by at least one head. During the crying and bawling, Gao Yong could see that his mom's head was full of white-silverish hair, and Gao Yang felt that he couldn't breathe.

Gao Yang's mom was only fifty this year, but her hair was all made up of white threads. He knew immediately that his mother had endured too many things these past three years.

His mom didn't hold him in her embrace for too long. She let go of him but one of her hands was still latched tightly onto him. She inspected him with her eyes still teary, one of her hands went up to wipe off the tears on his face. Her voice was half-choked with tears as she asked, "Yang Yang, Where have you been these few years? I missed you so much that I was gonna die!"

“Mom, I'm really sorry, I'm never gonna leave anymore and let you and Dad worry about me.”

When Gao Yang replied half-choked with tears too, his mother was finally sure that her son was really back. It was not a dream, nor was it a con-artist trying to pretend to be Gao Yang. Her extreme sorrow turned into extreme jubilance.

“It’s good that you’re back, see how thin you’ve become! Oh yes, you’ve probably not eaten, right? Quick! What do you wanna eat? Mommy’s gonna make you some food to eat. Aiya, there’s nothing in the house, I’m gonna go get them quick. What do you wanna eat? Red braised pork or dumplings? Or should Mommy make some noodles for you?”

Gao Yang’s mother was talking about making food for Gao Yang, but she just wouldn’t let go of Gao Yang as if letting go would make Gao Yang vanish.

Gao Yang didn’t want his mom to be overly agitated or excited. He had a way to change the subject and divert her attention.

“Ma, where’s Daddy? Call him to come back, we gotta eat fast, I’m really famished.”

Gao Yang’s mom awoke from the reverie she had floated off to. She finally pulled Gao Yang into the house and let Gao Yang sit on the sofa. She looked at Gao Yang slowly and tenderly before saying, “Your dad went to look for you, did you come back with him? I thought your dad found you. Aiya, you’re back already and your dad doesn’t know yet. What to do, what am I gonna do? No, I have to find a way to call him, but your dad’s phone’s turned off for sure! What should I do?”

Gao Yang’s mother was a little delirious and hence said her piece in an illogical sequence. Gao Yang still got the case in point and held onto his mom’s hand and replied, “Mom, what did you say? Did dad go to find me? Where did he go to find me?”

“Africa! Although those people all said you were dead, your Dad and I were sure that you weren’t! When you were observed by the fortune teller he said that you would live a peaceful and harmonious life! How would you die? But they didn’t want to find you anymore so your Dad went to find you himself. See, you’re back here!”

Gao Yang was dumbfounded and shocked. “He went to find me? Where? Is it Africa?”

“Yeah, your Dad said your cadaver wasn’t on the plane so he said that you were probably alive. Furthermore, you’ve read so many books and went outdoors to have fun, so he thought you were probably lost outside and couldn’t get home. So, your dad found people to help find you. I knew your dad was right.”

Seeing his mom so excited, Gao Yang was getting panicky, his voice trembled while saying, “You’re saying that my father is in Africa, just to find me?”

His mother nodded resolutely before continuing, “He went there for two months, but he’s about to come back. I’m gonna call him. As long as he’s back, he’ll switch on his phone! Ai, the roaming fees are too high, your dad went to Ethiopia without turning on his phone.”

Gao Yang understood immediately why his dad’s phone was always off, it’s because he was also in Africa.

Seeing his mother who had become a lot more frail and older, Gao Yang knew that his parents had sunk into a status of paranoia. They didn’t want to accept his death so they kept on searching for him. Even though he practically had no chance of survival. They didn’t accept that. As long as his corpse hadn’t been found, they’d harbor hope and wishfulness to search on.

Gao Yang sank into a deep hole self-blame and guilt. He knew they would be worried but he didn’t expect it to be this much.

Gao Yang was very grateful that he didn’t perish in Libya. He didn’t dare to imagine what would become of his parents if he didn’t return.

Just when Gao Yang was still traumatized by the whirl of imagination, he suddenly heard a voice that he missed even in his dreams.

“Shu Fen, why didn’t you close the door ah?”

As the door was shut closed, what followed after was the sound of a backpack dropping onto the floor. Pu-tong! A man with white hairs all over the corners of his forehead stood at the door. He was dazed.

Gao Yang stood up and told the man at the door who was in total disbelief, “Dad, it’s me, I’m back.[1]”

Gao Yang’s father logily looked at him; he suddenly crouched down and buried his head in the crook of his arm, not moving at all.

Gao Yang was totally shocked and in disarray. He rushed over quickly and knelt on the ground. He reached out and supported his dad physically and asked with extreme concern, “Dad, what’s wrong with you?!”

Gao Yang’s dad raised his head and glanced at Gao Yang. He suddenly reached out and hugged Gao Yang tightly. The fifty-year-old man just cried and bawled. It was pandemonium.

“I knew you weren’t dead! I just knew it! Yang Yang, I knew you’d be back[2]!”

Gao Yang’s mom also came over and hugged Gao Yang. The family of three wailed and bawled in one piece. It was what they called, “Tears of Rejoice”.

The cried for a long time. When Gao Yang and his dad finally blew the steam for the three years of pain and yearning, he stopped and shouted, “Stop crying! What’s there to cry? It’s supposed to be a day of happiness, let’s celebrate, let’s celebrate it properly!”

It was actually very beneficial for anyone to cry it out and ‘beat one’s breast’ after suppressing their emotions for so long to clear out every negative emotion. Although their faces were streaked with tears, Gao Yang’s parents seemed younger by at least a few years. Their spirits seemed to be a lot better too.

Gao Yang pulled each of his parents with one hand to the sofa and said, “Dad, mom, let’s have a grand feast. I’ll eat everything, I want to eat the dumplings you pinch. I missed them so d.a.m.n much.”

Gao Yang’s mother nodded eagerly and incessantly. “Good, good, let’s eat dumplings, reunion dumplings, wait there, Mommy’s gonna make some for you.”

Gao Yang actually had many things he wanted to say, and his parents also. But now, Gao Yang only wanted to stay with them and have a good meal. This scene was what he would occasionally fantasize about every time he ate.

Translator’s note(s):